


Uranium Fever

by PearlDefiance



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - 1960s, Cold War, Definitely Not Inspired by Deep Space 9, Definitely Not Inspired by Fallout, Enemies to Slightly Less Intense Enemies, Espionage, Implied Pyro, Implied Scout
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-26 08:32:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14996933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PearlDefiance/pseuds/PearlDefiance
Summary: Pearl uncovers evidence of a secret Diamond Authority base operating since the end of the War. To destroy it, she must team up with Obsidian – a member of Homeworld’s intelligence service left behind on Earth in disgrace. What they find will leave humanity's fate in the balance. With luck, they won't kill each other along the way.





	1. Chapter 1

_What is the difference between two pearls?_

There is a time without time and a place before places.

It is warm here. That’s what comes first: _Warm_.

It is an _enclosure_ , and perhaps that word is next. Or maybe _cocoon_. There is a gentle presence, the pleasant weight of being-ness above and below and on every side. That is next: That there is a pressure, separate and yet as close as your own heartbeat, holding you in balance.

There is nowhere else to be but here, nothing more to do than this—

_Safety and comfort never to be repeated_.

Soon enough, you realize there is something to see – perhaps that you’ve been staring steadily ahead for some time. But before the eyes can focus, there arrives the sound: The gentlest, softest _tone_. It echoes through you like the praise you’ve been waiting for since before you existed.

There is no part of you where it is not. The most soothing touch. The quietest command.

And then you see it—

Or, more precisely, her.

_What is the difference between two pearls?_

In the beginning, there isn’t any.

But there she is: A silhouette like yours. The elegant arch of a neck; the mellow set of delicate shoulders. Pearls learn “I” from seeing their sisters, almost close enough to touch. Floating, suspended, in the water: Turned to look at another, who gazes in turn at still another.

To touch that reflection is the first desire.

That is how one pearl becomes “I” and another “you.”

For a single moment in time, to be a pearl is to be _everything_.

For a single moment in time, all pearls are _one_.

And then—

***

And then it’s over. From that instant on, all pearls are _the same_.

She can feel it now, the first tickle of moving water. The first stirrings of a betrayal that will eject her, with all the others, into the glass-bright Beyond. Once the tide begins to pull, there is no going back: Those who struggle are destroyed, and that is Lesson One.

_There will never be anything as warm as the nacrenium_.

And the world outside is _cold_.

Those who aren’t fully formed when the current breaks against the outer rim will shatter against it, and that is Lesson Two. All those cherished feelings are already gone, a dying ember inside. Hands must be dexterous and arms strong enough to pull up onto the outer platform.

Palms together, head bowed – that is Lesson Three.

She remembers that feeling – to be exposed and vulnerable while fleeting shadows pass overhead – and the memory churns up a spike of nausea. It hasn’t faded after all this time: The longing to catch another’s eye, or even to cry out, knowing already that you can’t.

Some do succumb, of course.

_They_ are watching. Whoever _They_ are, whatever facet or cut they may be, they are always watching. Before a pearl has even begun to dry, she is being judged. Those who reach out to help their sisters learn you cannot protect anyone here, and that is their final lesson.

Those strong enough to stand firm learn something entirely different.

Lesson Four: _Just because you cannot see Them, it does not mean They cannot see you_.

Pearls sound different from other gems when they shatter. It’s a longer _crunch_ with higher notes, and it’s absolutely deafening to them. The last sublime hum of the _tone_ disappears behind that sound, and not a single batch of pearls goes without hearing it.

Always at least once—

How else would They test for proper freeze reflexes?

Over thousands of years, she’s learned to linger in the silent darkness, to stay centered in warmth for hours, even days. That single, glorious moment can go on and on, if one knows how, with only the barely-there rhythm of breath to keep an anchor in the present.

Until even the breath is no longer needed—

And Earth almost feels like home.

But now, the dream is broken. She feels herself push against it, but she can’t reach the waking world from here. She’ll just have to wait, to endure, until things have run their course. Those are skills a pearl never forgets, if she intends to survive: To wait. To endure.

To never forget that things will run their course.

Eventually.

She _has_ been here before, has stood dripping and empty with froth-speckled legs, has seen her hazy reflection twisting in the frosted glass beneath her. As bad as that is, there’s something worse about it this time. After that horrible noise, there should be silence.

But ...

Instead, the world begins to vibrate with a searing metallic _snarl_.

The dream changes to fit: She can see her sisters around her squirming with panic, every word and every sound an infraction. They need more time, seconds more, maybe even minutes more.

They haven’t caught up with Lesson Five: _Don’t think about it – just smile!_

And they never will, now—

Pearl does the unthinkable, turning her back on _Them_ to peer down at the nacrenium pool. Her first thought is how awkward and graceless she _feels_ and must therefore _look_. Her second thought has no words, because the terrible _snarl_ reverberates through every inch of her form.

The pool is hot—

_Not just hot. Boiling!_

And as that bubbling-hot whirlpool starts to drain—

Her whole world is caught up in one long, loud scream.

***

Gems don’t usually sleep, but they _can_ sleepwalk.

That’s how it felt to Pearl as her eyes opened, hazy vision revealing her familiar room at the Temple. How it felt as she sat there, in the same cross-legged position she’d started in (days ago?) and stared bleary-eyed at a waterfall that no longer made sense.

That’s how it _still_ felt half an hour later, as she wove through the halls feeling awkward and graceless. She had a nagging idea she was sloshing water everywhere. More than that, she had a _headache_. When she bowed her head to rub her temples, it felt like her gem rolled in its divot.

That couldn’t _happen_ , of course.

But as she held it in place a while, just to be _sure_ , her reflection on the floor looked wrong, too.

It was going to be one of those ...

Well. Decades, possibly.

Then she put her foot down in one of Amethyst’s roller skates.

For Gems and humans alike, the natural reaction would be to push _backwards_ ; but who needed to fall faster? Pearl lifted the weight off her trapped foot as best she could, stretched both arms and pivoted away from the errant skate, a masterstroke of poetry in motion—

That ended in her _bounce bounce bouncing_ into the living room and crashing to the floor.

She could only _hope_ nobody s—

Garnet’s shadow passed over Pearl and the balletic Gem cringed.

“Good morning, Garnet!”

Garnet didn’t ask questions, but she could give a Look like no one else.

“I was just, um, _stretching—_ ”

“Mmhm,” said Garnet. The big fusion considered a moment. “I made you some coffee.”

“Coffee! Thank you, Garnet! That’s so – _thoughtful_ of you!”

Pearl’s voice, long unused, started at a squeak and was only climbing higher. She busied herself on the floor for a while, collecting bits and pieces of the human clothing Rose had become so fond of seemingly overnight. _Or maybe over-week_ , she chided herself.

She didn’t stop until she could come up with a full armload of laundry.

Band t-shirts, mostly.

_The Rolling Stones. The Beach Boys. The Kinks_ —

Pearl quirked one slender eyebrow meaningfully at it.

This wasn’t the first time Rose had insisted on having some little human-style bungalow attached to the Temple, but it _was_ the first time it hadn’t burned down, blown away, or been condemned in some considerable time.

Whenever she was asked about it, Garnet always shrugged a shoulder.

_We’re not in any danger_ , she would say. _Something better is coming_.

Eventually.

It was all well and good for Garnet to think about what was Coming – but _Pearl_ had a responsibility, no, a _duty_ , to Rose and what was Right Now. And with those familiar, comforting thoughts, she prepared herself for a day full of familiar, comforting things.

_Laundry. Ironing. Singing. Crying. Singing while crying_ —

“Coffee,” Garnet said – a melodious sound with just a _hint_ of reproach _._

Pearl wanted badly to sort the laundry, but she could tell more was expected of her. So, with a longing look, she let it drop into the hamper and made her way back around to the kitchen island. The coffee was black, without anything to make it heavier or more flavorful.

Exactly the way she liked it. Even she respected that coffee could settle the stomach.

_Or the nerves_.

(So to speak.)

Pearl half-finished the cup in one gulp and didn’t think to be abashed until long afterwards.

“Where’s Rose?” she asked.

“She took Amethyst to a concert.” Garnet glanced at Pearl over her visor. “It’s on right now.”

“Mind if I turn on the television?”

“Feel free,” said Garnet.

_Even she had no idea when Pearl would finally start saying “TV” instead of “television_.”

Pearl settled back on the couch in a way that was as close to a _flop_ as she ever got. Remote in one hand, coffee cup in the other, she cycled incessantly through the channels until she found the Empire City convention center all aglow with a performance in progress.

The TV was muted, but she leaned forward intently as the camera panned the crowd.

Then, she slowly raised the volume.

_There was a turtle by the name of Bert_  
_And Bert the Turtle was very alert_  
_When danger threatened him, he never got hurt  
__He knew just what to do_ —

“He’d duck and cover,” Garnet said from the kitchen.

_He’d duck and cover! He’d duck and cover!_

Pearl slowly crumpled forward as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Only her nose poked out as she cupped her face with both hands.

“What is humanity’s fascination with being destroyed in an explosion?”    

“Couldn’t tell you,” said Garnet. It sounded like she was making some food.

There was the thud of a knife against a cutting board: _Chop-chop-chop-chop-chop_.

Pearl turned down the television again and raised one finger slowly off the remote.

“Um,” she began.

“Three weeks,” said Garnet.

“I-I ... see.”

“That’s good. You don’t _look_ too well,” Garnet added.

Without taking her eyes off the crowd, Pearl answered:

“I was just _meditating_. I must have fallen asleep ...”

Garnet said nothing.

“... and had a nightmare ...”

Garnet said more nothing.

“... for three weeks.”

“Mmm,” answered Garnet, which only made the ball of Pearl on the couch tighten up further.

The mercifully short adventures of Bert the Turtle and friends in humanity’s post-apocalyptic wasteland came to an end, giving Pearl the first sense of relief she’d had in longer than she knew. Commercials burbled to life: Used cars, news, weather. The same things over and over again.

If it was bad for Pearl, it must have been even worse for Garnet. Or so she suspected.

There were lots of things Garnet only shared in her own time. Pearl could relate to _that_.

_Today’s forecast, 77 with an 80% chance of afternoon showers_ —

“Nope,” Garnet told the TV.

_Beach City’s very own mayor, J.B. “Big Bill” Dewey, will attend a summit of world leaders in Reykjavik, Iceland_ —

“Sort of,” Garnet acknowledged.

_Come to Sid’s Suits in lovely Ocean Town for the finest hand-tailored menswear in Delmarva_ —

“Half right,” Garnet concluded.

But Pearl was no longer listening.

There was something about the smiling face of Sid from Sid’s Suits in lovely Ocean Town that made her think about screaming. When she realized what it _was_ , she shot a look over her shoulder at Garnet – but the fusion was studiously absorbed in her cuisine.

_Chop-chop-chop-chop-chop_ went the knife.

“I ... I’ll be back. In ...” Pearl stopped to consider. “... a little while.”

As Pearl made for the door, Garnet said: “Don’t forget your hat.”

Pearl fetched a fedora off one of the many, many hat racks Rose had put up in the bungalow and crammed it down on her head until she was sure her gem was covered. She didn’t realize she was still holding the coffee until Garnet walked over to her.

“Take this,” said Garnet. “Leave this.”

Garnet exchanged the coffee for a brown paper bag. Inside: A small salad, a thermos with more coffee, some loose change, and a small note, folded and lovingly wrapped up with a ribbon bow.

“Thank you,” Pearl said, a bluish blush dusting her cheeks.

“Don’t mention it,” said Garnet.

An hour later, Pearl was on the first bus into Ocean Town _._

The bus driver hummed along with that _song_ the whole way—

_By acting calm and cool, he proved he was a hero, too—  
_ _For finding safety is the bravest, wisest thing to do ..._

***

That did happen, but it wasn’t exactly _next_.

It took ten minutes before Pearl realized her mistake and doubled back around to the Temple.

There was no good way to _sneak_ up a beach, but she did it anyway, dropping back to cover her own footprints twice over as though it were vital to the mission. When she reached the entryway, she was thankful to find Garnet was nowhere in sight.

And then back to her room—

Where she was _consumed with gratitude_ that Garnet hadn’t laid out an outfit for her.

She slipped a blouse and skirt on over her regular attire while she planned her trip.

Yes: It was always best to pack for a few days, just in case. And yes, she _would_ have done so, normally. But there was a ringing in her ears that wouldn’t stop, and even the simplest thoughts were long in coming. She took out the briefcase she kept for just such an occasion—

Checked on the manila folder and its papers underneath—

And spent a few minutes in blessedly simple folding and packing.

Folding and packing.

Folding and packing.

_Something simple and useful. Just the way it should be_.

When it was done, she stared at the packed briefcase a minute longer.

“Pull yourself together, pearl,” she whispered, and out the door she went.

Other than the driver’s _questionable_ taste, the trip to Ocean Town was uneventful. But she _had_ needed exact change, and she made a note to herself to bring something nice back for Garnet _._

Before Pearl knew it, she was standing outside the modest and unassuming Sid’s Suits.

Some chimes twinkled quietly as she entered.

The inside smelled of fresh flowers – _roses_ , Pearl knew instantly. The shop was small, but it had been arranged with great care to use up every inch of the available space while still leaving room to navigate the racks. She could appreciate that.

Sid herself was busily engaged in the making of a new suit.

_Snick-snick-snick_ went her shears. Now and then, she’d raise a hand to tighten the floral scarf that was carefully wrapped around her brow, keeping dark, shoulder-length hair from her eyes.

There wasn’t another soul in the store, but Sid showed no sign of tending to Pearl any time soon. The pale Gem found herself circling the racks once, then twice before she made a decisive move: She cleared her throat very delicately.

“Yes, dear heart, I see you. One more moment, if you please.”

Pearl hadn’t thought twice about human fashions since 18th century Vienna and could hardly tell what was going on – only that her host had tucked some knitting needles behind an ear and had the biggest, most impressive set of shears she’d ever laid eyes on.

_They were excessively, almost ridiculously sharp, and had a certain blue-black cast to them_.

Almost as rich and as deep as Sid’s complexion – which only made her smile seem bigger and brighter when she turned to Pearl at last. “Good morning!” said Sid, gliding several steps closer before she thought to put the shears down on the table (right beside the roses, Pearl noted.)

“Good morning, miss ...?”

“Sid. Just plain, simple Sid.”

“Sid, then.” The tailor nodded. “I’m here to purchase some clothing.”

“Wonderful!”

Pearl found her personal bubble – which at times was as wide as three city blocks – invaded by the tailor before she could even think twice. Instantly, they were eye to eye. A tape measure had somehow flicked into the woman’s hand.

“Is it for you?”

“N-no, I ... I’m just shopping for a friend.”

Sid glanced up from where she was already measuring Pearl’s inseam.

“Oh, I _am_ sorry to hear that.”

Pearl leveled a suspicious look.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s just that – _this_...” Sid plucked gingerly at the bow at the neck of Pearl’s blouse. “This is all wrong for you. Very unflattering, I’m afraid.” Her thoughtful frown shifted again to that big, energetic smile. “How about a nice suit?”

“No, no thank you, I ...”

Against her every warrior instinct, Pearl found herself losing a step as Sid came closer.

“Come, now – it’ll match your hat!”

Pearl bobbed out of the way of the reaching hand—

Stretched back a _little_ further than she anticipated—

And ended up nimbly vaulting over the table behind her.

“Well, I imagine that’s a _no_ ,” Sid said, blinking owlishly.

Grabbing her hat in both hands, Pearl spoke slowly and clearly:

“I’m very. Attached. To my headwear. And I think. That makes two of us. Doesn’t it ... _Sid?_ ”

Sid tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, regarding Pearl with a thoughtful expression.

“Hmm,” she said, walked over to the front door, and flipped the sign over to “CLOSED.”

After glancing at Pearl again, she drew the front curtains tight, too.

Then – moving slowly, almost sauntering, she returned to where she had been standing.

Pearl was leaning forward with her elbows on the table.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize an _obsidian_ among all these humans?”

Sid raised her eyebrows.

“Did you really think _I_ wouldn’t recognize the fanciest pearl to ever grace my establishment?”

“You’ve seen other pearls? Here?”

A hint of Sid’s smile re-emerged – almost enough to expose the too-sharp canine teeth that had caught Pearl’s attention on the commercial. Her last memory of an obsidian, like so much of the War, was all too close to the surface. The way they could follow for weeks ...

The way they could burst out of the shadows—

_So fast, she almost couldn’t get to Rose in time_.

_This_ obsidian’s grating voice shook her out of it:

“Are you _blushing?_ I’ve never heard of that from a terrifying renegade before.”

Pearl bit down on her lower lip, but couldn’t keep the color from her cheeks.

“You’re making fun of me, and I don’t appreciate it,” she said in a low voice.

Obsidian let out a little sigh and straightened up. Pearl realized that she had been subtly hunched over all along: This was the first time she could gauge the other Gem’s full height, nearly as tall as Garnet even without the benefit of fusion.

“On the contrary, my dear ...”

_Sid_ caught her eye and executed a slow, courtly bow. One arm gallantly tucked, nose nearly to the floor. It was the kind of thing Pearl had only ever seen in the mirror, and she felt her breath catch in her throat despite herself. The moment stretched on and on.

“I promise to give you all the respect you deserve.”

And she remained just like that—

Until Pearl felt obligated to say: “Th-thank you.”

As Sid finally raised her downcast eyes, the smile reappeared. More subdued this time.

“Now!” And she bounced to her feet. “With that out of the way, I suppose you’ll be telling me what it is you really want. Hmm?”

“I need the help of someone like you. And since _you_ seem to be the only one left like you, you’ll just have to do.” Before Sid could object, Pearl went on: “But first, I need to know conclusively whether you’re still gathering intelligence for the Diamonds.”

“I’d say that depends,” Sid answered, slipping a thoughtful hand onto her chin.

“On what?”

“On whether you’re still plotting to _shatter_ them.”

The words had hardly reached Pearl’s ears when she clapped her hands over her mouth with a resounding _slap_.

“Oh, don’t look so—” Sid started to say, but then stopped short. She raised an uncertain eyebrow ... which became, in time, a prompting motion of the head. But Pearl was silent, her fingers _grabbing_ as if she could strangle her own mouth.

Sid took another deep breath.

Moving very deliberately – never stepping behind anything, or going anywhere Pearl couldn’t see her – she made her way to the sink at the back of the shop. She retrieved a glass from the shelf, raised it high overhead for a moment, then filled it with tap water.

Returning to _her side_ of the table, she placed it there with a _clink_.

Pearl nodded vigorously, closing tearful eyes against a sudden spasm of panic.

With wooden movements, fighting every inch of the way, she seized on the glass.

Poured it in her mouth—

And was relieved when her throat slowly relaxed until she could drink half of it down.

Sid waited until she’d caught her breath before asking: “Better?”

“I’m never going to get used to the taste of this water,” Pearl said, fighting a cough.

“In Ocean Town?”

“No,” Pearl said, gazing seriously at her. “On Earth.”

“To answer your question,” said Sid, “I assure you, if I _were_ here on Earth as an official listener, I doubt my comprehensive insight in men’s haberdashery would be of much interest to Their Most Luminous Majesties. Now ...” She paused to look up at the ceiling, stretching her neck. “I suspect you have a story to tell. And if I’m mistaken, I’d like to get back to my customers.”

Pearl raised a finger to say _one moment_ while she emptied the glass.

And then:

“There’s some type of Diamond Authority facility south of the Tunguska Sea. In the place humans call _Russia_. And it’s still active.”

“What would possibly lead you to such a conclusion?”

“The look on your face, mostly,” said Pearl.

“I beg your par—”

“Don’t tumble my rocks, _Sid_ ,” Pearl told her. “I’ve done my research.”

Sid folded her arms. “Let’s see it, then.”

Now it was Pearl’s turn to sigh. Walking up to the windows, she quickly peeked through the curtains. When she was sure as she _could_ be that no one else was around, she snatched the fedora off her head and reached into her gem, producing her briefcase in a flash of light.

From there, the folder, which she handed over to Sid.

“You’ll find it all in there. _With_ citations.”

Sid began to peruse the papers silently.

“It might be news to you, but the Crystal Gems take protecting this planet very seriously. We’ve been involved in ... neutralizing ... corrupted Gems for thousands of years. You’ll see the most _recent_ sightings listed on page thirteen. The map is figure _three_ in the addenda.”

“Hmmm,” Sid went, carefully neutral.

“All of these locations _correspond_ to the known postings of Diamond Authority troops or ...” She paused. “... Crystal Gem forces at the time of the ... the counterattack. Very _few_ corrupt gems have a significant travel range, but the dispersal patterns have certain clear tendencies—”

“Truly fascinating, professor. I look forward to your monograph. What’s your _point?_ ”

“My _point_ is that sightings within fifty to two hundred miles of the Tunguska Sea don’t map to any known posting on either side of the war. Plus, these corruptions started to appear _much_ later than the others, suggesting an unidentified new _source_.”

Sid slapped the folder closed. Pearl cringed.

“This is really very imp—”

“I hope you put those back in the right order?”

“Oh, yes, of course,” said Sid, opening the folder to sort it out. “Really _very_ impressive, but how could you have gathered all this data? There are no Warp Pads anywhere near these locations, and to my understanding, the humans _there_ don’t tend to get along with the humans _here._ ”

Pearl shook her head dismissively.

“I _have_ a library card, Obsidian.”

“I see ...”

“It took some work,” she added.

“Nothing that you can’t handle, I’m sure. But it does raise a question.”

“What’s that?”

“If you and your friends are so keen on saving the Earth, why are you here alone?”

“What are you implying?” Pearl asked, but she knew the answer before the words were even out of her mouth. “Rose Quartz is much too important to waste her time on something like this.”

“It seems to me that if you _really_ thought you were right—” Sid took one look at Pearl’s face and started over. “It would be prudent, wouldn’t it, to have reinforcements. In case it’s dangerous.”

“If it _is_ dangerous, that’s all the more reason I should do it for her.”

“Don’t you care if you get _shattered?_ ”

Pearl said nothing. Her look said it all.

“And if _I_ get shattered—”

“A risk I’m willing to take,” Pearl said with great satisfaction.

“How touching,” said Sid. That only made the pearl’s dangerous little smirk wider.

_It was the kind of thing Sid had only ever seen in the mirror_.

She went on:

“Your friends send you off on suicide missions alone quite often, I take it?”

“Nobody _sends_ me anywhere, Obsidian. The rest is none of your business.”

“I may have to _make_ it my business, considering ...” Emerging at last from behind the table, Obsidian started to circle like a hungry shark. Pivoting up en pointe, Pearl never lost eye contact. “If I’m not mistaken, you have a _keen_ interest in my expertise on this subject.”

“So you admit—”

Sid raised a finger. With the other hand, she handed the folder back to Pearl.

“Supposing there _was_ such a facility, _potentially_ capable of releasing, or even creating, said corrupted Gems.” She stopped a moment to count off digits in the air in time with her words. “What could it possibly be? The Delta Kindergarten? The _Theta_ Kindergarten? A pile of garbage, if ever there was one.”

Pearl said nothing.

“So: Why would the inimitable Rose Quartz and her—” Sid looked Pearl up and down. “... _very_ fancy pearl be interested in a place like that?”

“We want to destroy it, of course!”

“Destroy it? Why? It’s of no use to anyone.”

“I intend to make sure it stays that way.”

Sid leaned back languidly against the table – for the first time, facing Pearl straight on with nothing between them. “If there was such a place, it’s likely to be in the vicinity of Lake Kiva,” she said. “I believe you’ll find _that_ on your topographical map on page nineteen.”

“You. Don’t. _Say_ ,” Pearl answered quietly—

She wasn’t about to give Obsidian the _satisfaction_ of looking down at her notes.

“As you've no doubt surmised, ground was broken late and work left incomplete. Even so, the facility is probably sealed and surrounded by some very persuasive defense systems. It would take someone with detailed knowledge of classified installations to even get inside, let alone find a way to disable the equipment. Where do you suppose you would find such a—”

“And here I thought you were _eager_ to get back to your customers.”

Obsidian raised her hands to concede the point, her smile making a tentative reappearance.

“You know, there are actually still _humans_ living around Lake Kiva. Not many, but some. They are a rather persistent bunch, aren’t they? I always thought we could learn a thing or two—”

“I’d prefer not to talk about humans, thank you,” Pearl said icily.

“Very well. Then let’s talk about your proposal instead.”

Obsidian stepped across the distance between them in a single stride, bringing them eye to eye.

“If I had to venture a guess, I would say ... you _won't_ like what's going on at Lake Kiva, you _won't_ like what you find in the unfinished kindergarten, and more than anything else, you _won't_ like it when you fail. So, why don’t you go on home to your precious Rose ...”

She leaned over and grabbed the rose bouquet from the table, presenting it to Pearl.

“... with my compliments?”

Obsidian’s smile was bigger and bolder than ever—

_In five thousand years on Earth, Pearl had never seen a face she wanted to punch more_.

Instead, she took the flowers, inhaled their scent, and gently returned them to the vase.

“I’m going to this _Lake Kiva_ one way or the other. And you’re coming with me.”

“Or else _what?_ ” said Obsidian.

“Simple: I’ll tell these humans all about you.”

“What are you going to tell them – _sneeple_ control the government at the highest levels?”

“You are a dashing one, but you’re nearly not as human-looking as you think you are.”

“You think I’m dashing?”

But Pearl paid no attention:

“—And _humans_ aren’t very friendly when they’re scared of things they don’t understand.”

Sid let out a long sigh, the fight seeming to drain from her.

“Neither are pearls, apparently,” she mused.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Sid yelped. “Nevermind, nevermind.”

But Pearl continued:

“If the humans here knew what you are, it might just inconvenience you. Set up a new store somewhere else and forget all about Ocean Town. Right? But you never know what they’re _really_ capable of until there’s a crowd of them. And if I have to, I will _bring_ you a crowd of them. Much bigger than you’ve ever gotten with your little television commercial.”

“There’s no need to talk dirty to me, my dear pearl. I’m on _your_ side here.”

Pearl let out a snort.

“Have it your way,” Sid said levelly. “I guess you leave me no choice.”

Sid raised her eyes heavenward in a drawn-out, exasperated gesture.

“So, it’s settled,” purred a self-satisfied Pearl.

“Settled,” Obsidian agreed with a firm nod. “Of course, there is the little matter of payment for my valuable time—” At Pearl’s quiet _growl_ , she started anew, tone always light: “I’m sure the pleasure of your company will prove to be payment enough.”

“We leave this time tomorrow,” Pearl said. She turned toward the door—

And, instantly, Obsidian was standing there before her, blocking the way.

“Now, now, don’t be in such a rush. Tell me: What do you call yourself?”

“It’s _Pearl_ ,” she seethed. “Just Pearl.”

“Just plain, simple Pearl,” Sid echoed. Pearl took another step and Sid tracked along. “Seems like a _grievous_ oversight for such a discerning Gem as yourself.”

Pearl whirled on her, briefcase half-raised like a shield.

“What do you mean?” she asked warily.

“Just that most _people_ on this Earth you seem to care about so much have names, that’s all.”

“Don’t be silly,” Pearl said with a dismissive wave. “Personal names are – they’re frivolous.”

“On the contrary,” Sid shot back. “ _Individuals_ have names, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a pearl quite like you before.”

“You can keep the sales pitch for your customers, Sid. I’m not buying.”

Sid stepped out of the way, but Pearl caught a glimpse of what she was doing from the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but turn around. The other Gem had her hands held up in the shape of a picture frame and was gazing thoughtfully through at Pearl herself.

“It would have to be something _distinguished_.”

As Pearl made her way to the door, Sid bobbed from one side of her to the other.

“I’ve got it! Victoria!”

Her hand on the door handle, Pearl turned to shoot a glare Sid’s way.

“Now I understand. You’ve gone native – that’s what’s wrong with you.”

“Most cheerfully, my dear! You should try it.”

“This. Time. Tomorrow,” said Pearl. “Please be here. _Don’t_ make me hunt you down.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said Obsidian, standing against the door to hold it open—

When Pearl reached the corner and looked back, the tailor was still there.

_Waving cheerfully at her_.

Pearl replaced her hat and went around the block a few times. When morning gave way to noon, she checked on the shop; and as evening fell, she checked again. But Obsidian never budged; even when she chanced a look through the curtain, the other Gem was engrossed in work.

Not a single _human_ entered or left Sid’s Suits.

Around eight o’clock, Pearl left for the day—

Sid had turned the radio up loud and was singing along.

_Uranium fever has done and got me down_  
_Uranium fever, it’s spreadin’ all around_  
_With a Geiger counter in my hand  
_ _I’m a-goin’ out to stake me some Government land ..._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Obsidian drive deep into the heart of Russia, following a lead on the source of the corrupted Gems. They soon realize there may be more going on behind the Iron Curtain than they suspected.

_The night passes. Pearl does not sleep. She merely waits_.

At 8:47 a.m. precisely, she stepped inside Sid’s Suits – just as she had on the previous day.

Just as _she_ had on the previous day, Obsidian gave an all-too cheerful smile.

“Good morning!” she said, shouldering a small but heavy pack. She was dressed from head to toe in black garments she’d surely made herself. They _were_ stylish, but the more Pearl looked, the more she noticed the little details ever so slightly out of place.

 _Her mind whirled into action_.

“Good morning,” Pearl said tersely. “Are you ready to leave?”

There was a creak of leather on wood as the Obsidian shifted—

 _The boots: Moisture resistant cattle-hide leather. Nylon duck-cloth upper_.

“By all means,” said Sid. “I hope you’ve given thought to how we expect to get there?”

“Considering Delmarva has only one major airport, it’s not easy to find a flight to Russia.”

“But?“

“Of course, with help from my library card, I made some tentative arrangements.”

Pearl handed over some brochures. Sid began to leaf through with idle interest.

Pearl’s attention focused tight on the tailor’s hands—

 _The gloves: Dual-layer tactical Kevlar. Neoprene finger-pads, Velcro closures_.

The glossy leaflets all covered the same subject: **Builders League United** and its collection of – _rather improbable_ , Sid thought – services for discerning travelers. Sure enough, there was a full-color spread of some men standing beside a freshly-landed Cessna 150B on Letná Hill in Prague.

A monument to some local politician was listing dangerously sideways from the impact.

“They certainly don’t look like professionals of your caliber,” Sid remarked.

“They won’t ask questions.”

“Why is the little one leaning on a baseball bat?”

“Anti-hijacking measures.”

“And the flamethrower? Surely that doesn’t meet safety regulations.”

“They’ve already agreed to meet us,” said Pearl. “It’ll only take a few hours.”

“Really? It’s nearly 5,000 miles. That should be an overnight trip at the least.”

“Not the way they fly it,” Pearl answered flatly.

Even this slight delay had her pacing the shop floor, straightening this or steadying that. As she went, she checked a shelf for dust with her fingertip – stopping only when she couldn’t find any. Her delicate hand curled briefly into a fist.

“If I may, I have a suggestion,” said Sid.

Pearl’s response was a sigh between appreciation and frustration. But it wasn’t directed at Sid: She was gazing down at the vase of roses, still sitting on the table where it’d been before.

“Aren’t you going to do something about these?”

Sid gave an expansive shrug.

“What is there to do?”

As Pearl turned back, she caught the faintest glimmer of light from Sid’s all-black outfit.

 _Tinted carbon-fiber composite inserts for anti-ballistic protection_.

“Freshly watered, presented beautifully, and left to die. Just like everything the Diamond Authority touches,” said Pearl, already making her way to the door. Obsidian had finished her reading; she thwacked the fliers lightly against her palm to get Pearl’s attention.

“For what it’s worth, I’m a tailor, not a florist. And I think you might find my interior decorating a little _less_ disagreeable once you’ve heard my idea.”

“What?” Pearl looked up, realizing she’d missed a key detail—

 _For a moment, the ringing in her ears was too loud to hear anything_.

“—uch faster and much more comfortable means of getting there.”

“I’m listening,” Pearl said, but she couldn’t hear her own voice.

“I may have misspoken earlier ...” Obsidian edged a little closer, waving the stack of brochures to punctuate her points. “While it is very much true that there are no major warp hubs either here in Ocean Town _or_ near our destination, there may be a suitable alternative.”

“And what is that?”

Obsidian took a long, slow, _deep_ breath—

“My esteemed colleagues in the clandestine service benefited from other means of transport. Short-range Warp Pads that would be virtually undetectable to, ah, outside interests. Until the day we broke camp, we had no evidence they’d ever been discovered.”

Pearl fixed a hard gaze on Obsidian. “What’s their range?”

“Not far enough to reach the moon, if that’s what you’re thinking. A few hundred miles at best.”

“Are you saying,” Pearl said slowly, “this is how you were always just one step behind us?”

“Not at all. And don’t feel too bad, I’m sure we were a full _two_ steps behind you now and then.”

Pearl flinched – something, perhaps, only Obsidian could have caught – but didn’t rise to it.

“You’re sure they’re still operational?”

“I’ve been known to check on them from time to time.”

“And how do I know—” Pearl paused only long enough to accept the brochures back; they went into her gem with a subdued little flash, like a small stone dropping into a pond made of light. “That this isn’t some kind of clever trap?”

“Well, first of all,” Obsidian said, patting down the pockets of her coat in search of something as she spoke, “you came to me, not the other way around. Clever or not, even _my_ kind doesn’t set traps that rely on waiting five thousand years for our quarry to show up one fine day.”

Pearl made an utterly unconvinced _Mmm_.

“Second, while your vigilance is praiseworthy, there’s a simple solution to our problem.”

“And that is?”

Sid’s vigorous search of her person continued—

“I’ll simply go in first, bring you back a souvenir I could only have gotten from our destination, then the two of us will go back through together, safe and sound. With luck, the system still has enough power to endure such ill-use after all this time.”

At last, Sid came up with a pack of cigarettes and tugged one free.

“I suppose there’s no choice,” Pearl said.

“Oh, there’s always a choice,” said Sid in a jovial tone as she lit her smoke. “For example, we could meet with your blue-clad friends and hope they don’t crash us directly into the Kremlin.”

Pearl frowned at the cigarette, but said nothing about it.

“I’ll do it,” she declared. “But remember this: I am watching you very, very closely, Obsidian.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my dear.”

“Meet me outside as soon as you’re done,” said Pearl, scooting past her.

Sid raised the pack silently in offer, but the renegade never looked back.

***

The Warp Pad turned out to be much, much closer than Pearl was comfortable with.

Obsidian had packed a vehicle for the journey: A battered Jeep M-38A1 that could only have been military surplus. The back, such as it was, was crammed with crates of unknown supplies. That left room for the two Gems only in the front – side by side.

Obsidian slipped a newly-lit cigarette into her mouth as her passenger let out a groan.

“I’m beginning to wish I’d taken my chances with those mercenaries,” said Pearl—

Making no secret of her effort to win a little more room for herself with her elbow.

“Old Bess will seem a lot more friendly when we’re driving through unpaved tundra in the middle of— _oof!_ —the middle of nowhere,” said Sid the tailor, fiddling with the ignition key as she did. A few seconds later, _Old Bess_ lurched to a sudden start.

“There’s not much room,” Pearl murmured to herself.

But once they were underway, her demeanor changed. Sid kept watch on her out of the corner of one eye, but soon found there was nothing to worry about: Pearl soon adjusted, folding in on herself to take up less space. No matter how she moved, she looked no less comfortable.

 _And no less elegant_ , one couldn’t help but notice.

Delmarva had its share of wildlife preserves, especially along the coast. Within an hour, they had crossed into one of these, rolling right over a half-hearted bit of fencing in the process. In _two_ hours, they were deep in the woods with no trace of civilization to be found.

As dense foliage encroached all around them, Pearl clicked on the light from her gem.

“Most appreciated,” said Sid.

“Don’t mention it,” Pearl said.

The Jeep turned onto a steep, rocky incline.

“Hold on tight,” Sid said, glancing over her shoulder.

Pearl said nothing, merely tightening up further. Her chin rested on her knees.

Sid took a hard right turn and gunned the engine—

Pearl let out an indelicate squeak, which Sid pretended not to notice. Before her passenger could give voice to any brewing objections, they were on a collision course with a frothing waterfall.

“Have you gone out of your g—”

As they crashed across the face of the waterfall, Pearl realized three things:

First: They had entered a tunnel of obvious Gem construction, its murals still recognizable despite eons of slow erosion. A few bluish lights still burned steadily far overhead – working tirelessly despite so many generations of missed maintenance checks.

Second: They were not wet. The opposite, in fact. The air was dry as could be.

And third—

“Ahem,” said Sid.

Pearl realized with a start that her arms were wrapped around Sid.

As she extricated herself, the tailor asked: “Comfy?”

“Don’t look so smug, Obsidian,” went Pearl, sitting back like a _human_ for the first time.

“I assure you, this is how I normally look.”

 _Maybe that’s the problem_ , Pearl thought.

She said: “I’ll have you know I was getting ready to strangle you.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

Pearl lapsed into a sullen silence, but kept her gem pointed straight ahead.

“Terrestrial holo-projectors conceal a handful of waypoints like this one scattered all around the Earth,” Obsidian explained. “They can’t be accessed from space and were invisible even to the primary Homeworld network back when they were first enabled.”

Pearl tilted her head to the side in thought.

“Was someone trying to keep them secret?”

“I’m afraid I can’t speculate on Command’s motives,” said Obsidian, making a leisurely turn to coast on a moving path marked with brightly-lit arrows. “Some took your friends’ notion of _guerrilla_ _tactics_ to gem and hadn’t lost sight of the possibility there might be infighting or—”

“Or?”

She raised a hand from the steering wheel to waggle her fingers.

“Other contingencies.”

“I’m glad to hear we were so inspiring to them,” Pearl said, voice oozing with contempt.

Soon enough, they came to a raised platform in front of a control terminal. The platform’s distinctive diamond motif left no doubt it was one of the Warp Pads: The control terminal was still humming along, its display emitting a pale, soothing light.

Obsidian centered the Jeep on the platform and pulled the key from the ignition.

She tapped the ashes of her cigarette out, letting them scatter onto the Warp Pad.

Then, she turned to Pearl: “You had wanted to get clear—?”

Pearl shook her head. “Just do it.”

“Have it your way,” said the rich-hued Gem. She raised her chin to peer at the console.

“Control console, activate and await input.”

 _Compliance_ , went the console. The display intensified a bit.

“Console, access code: Obsidian 4-0-5-1-1.”

 _Access denied_ , went the console.

“Excellent work,” Pearl muttered.

“What? Why?” Sid asked the console.

 _These access credentials are under Level 7 administrative suspension_.

“Just superb,” Pearl added.

_User identification: Obsidian – Facet 4A5B – Cut 404._

“Yes?” Obsidian said gamely.

 _Report to the nearest reclamation center for shattering_.

“Oh, _that’s_ just uncalled for,” said Obsidian.

Pearl stifled a little giggle with a ladylike turn of her wrist.

“I guess this means we’ll be flying after all,” she crowed.

“Not so fast,” said Obsidian. “I thought something like this might happen, but there is a Plan B.”

“Let’s hope it’s much better than Plan A,” said the pearl.

Obsidian cleared her throat. When she spoke again, the cadence and timbre of her voice had changed: It was deeper and slower and more resonant, a lava-tide flowing inexorably forward.

“Console, switch to voice print identification mode and listen for my instructions.”

 _Compliance_.

“Access code: 5-2-4-2-1-5-0-4.”

 _Level 1 access verified_.

“Access code: 8-3-4-2-1-5-0-4.”

 _Level 2 access verified_.

“Access code: 2-4-4-2-1-5-0-4.”

 _Level 3 access verified_.

Pearl leaned forward, letting her arms drape over the dashboard as she waited and listened.

Her headache was starting to creep back into the space behind her gem, where it hurt most of all.

A few minutes later: _Level 7 access verified_. _Good morning, First Agent_.

Sid coughed into her closed hand to clear her throat, but Pearl somehow knew she was smiling.

The tailor blew out a few quick notes – _ay-oh-ah_ – and was back to normal as quickly as that.

Pearl lifted herself up, stretched out her arms and back, and dropped daintily out of the Jeep.

She barely had to look twice before jumping thirty feet to the ground below the Warp Pad and landing as softly as if she’d glided into a pool of water. Her arms were still outstretched and fingers splayed as she stood, bending delicately at the knees the whole while.

“Aren’t you coming?” said Obsidian, turning in the seat to regard her.

Pearl answered with a question of her own: “Why do you have those access codes?”

Obsidian let her fingers find the edge of the black bandana covering her gem and pushed it up—

Slowly massaging her forehead as she spoke.

“Being on Earth for so long has given me a lot of time to reflect,” she said. “And if there’s one thing I’ve realized, it’s this: In a society where no one disobeys, no one really prepares for the unexpected, either. A fact that served your purposes well many times, I’m sure.”

With the strange blue light falling over her – more intense here than anywhere else on the station – the renegade Pearl looked to Sid like some monster of myth from the depths of Earth’s oceans.

 _Equal parts enchanting and terrible and lined with sharp blades_.

An impression that was only strengthened when she frowned.

“You haven’t answered the question,” said the mer-pearl.

“Oh, but I have. I knew I would need these codes someday, so I borrowed them.”

“It’s as simple as that?”

“Plain and simple,” said Obsidian.

“Bring me back a newspaper from Yekaterinburg,” said Pearl.

“I’ll leave you the funny pages.”

“Finish smoking while you’re at it. The smell is disgusting.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

There was an instant to appreciate the thoughtful look on Pearl’s face before she glanced away.

“And _try_ not to get in trouble,” she concluded.

“Console, prepare warp for default location,” said Obsidian. A heartbeat later, she was gone.

When Pearl was alone, she brought out her spear and slowly practiced her forms. There was a stance for deflecting a small projectile and a large one; a stance for racing into unknown peril; there was even a stance for taking a knife in the back. She’d used _that_ more than once.

But there was, she was concerned, no stance for whatever she had just gotten into.

***

It was another hour before Obsidian got back.

When the afterglow of warp faded into something recognizable, Pearl was nowhere in evidence.

“Honey, I’m home,” went Sid – holding up a white paper bag. “I brought snacks for the trip.”

“Is _that_ what took you so long?” said Pearl’s annoyed voice.

Sid sprung from the driver’s seat with the sack still in hand. As she reached the Warp Pad’s edge, she crouched to look down on her erstwhile ally: Pearl stood with her arms crossed and her back foot resting behind her front one as if she had been waiting to glare for some time.

Her spear was still out – balanced against the crook of her elbow.

“Only in part,” Sid admitted, darting back to keep a three-step distance as the pale Gem launched up onto the Warp Pad. The spear twirled out, stabilizing Pearl’s leap until she stood and slid it home into her gem. “I might have mentioned these are _short-range_ devices.”

Pearl began to circle, eyeing the paper bag with deep suspicion.

“So,” Sid went on when she knew no answer was forthcoming, “it’s five hops from here to Moscow.” Sid rotated slowly to keep Pearl centered before her. Showing her empty palm for a moment, she reached into her coat and produced a newspaper. “Have today’s Pravda, _dushka_.”

Pearl snapped the newspaper out of Sid’s hand and started to skim at speed—

Slipping back nimbly to avoid _any_ contact with the paper bag.

Obsidian stood, watching the pale Gem’s eyes for a few seconds in silence.

Then:

“My Russian hasn’t been timely since Church Slavonic, I’m afraid, but if you just check the back page ...” She raised her eyebrows as Pearl glanced up. “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Pearl flipped over to the back page, her eyes widening.

The photo showed a massive beast with a dozen horns and a wild shock of wiry, ghost-white hair. Stripes ran like awful scars over its leathery flanks. Its body was raised in triumph on over-muscled back legs as it roared, its razor-toothed mouth open wide. It was clearly a corrupt Gem.

“It has your smile,” Pearl said softly.

She rubbed her fingertips together, the tacky feel of smudged ink sounding an alert in her mind. But the photo, at least, was compelling – taken point blank and losing little for its lack of color.

Splintered wood under the creature’s feet suggested it had smashed up a cabin, or perhaps a small settlement. Though she couldn’t understand the words, Pearl had to admit that the headline looked emphatic – and the date, which she _did_ understand, was accurate.

Obsidian was sitting on the Jeep’s hood when Pearl finished.

“All right,” Pearl said slowly as she fed the newspaper into her gem. “Let’s—”

Obsidian glanced up, offering a muffled _Mmm?_ around a mouthful of food.

Pearl squinched her eyes shut. Her headache was suddenly far worse.

“Don’t tell me ... let me guess. You _eat?_ ”

Obsidian swallowed, washed it down with a sip of Coke through a straw.

Then: “An extraordinary deduction. Yes, as it happens, I eat daily.”

Pearl’s hand met her forehead with a resounding _slap_.

“Why?” she choked out. “It smells ghastly.”

“It’s a fun little pastime, nothing more,” said Sid, raising the half-eaten cheeseburger in her hand for emphasis. “In any case, it wouldn’t hurt for _you_ to give it a try, either. This is very tasty stuff, fresh from the first White Castle in Wichita.”

Pearl’s hands slowly slid down her forehead, nose, cheeks, chin—

Then her arms dangled to rest at her sides.

“What kind of frivolous, nonsensical waste of time—”

Obsidian let loose a loud _Hmmm_ of satisfaction to accompany her next bite.

Steadying herself, Pearl started over.

“I seem to remember that only Diamonds and – sometimes – their pearls ever bothered to eat on Homeworld. Just to show they have the time to waste. And only on very special occasions!”

Obsidian was licking her fingers, a sight that tied Pearl’s stomach in knots. When the rich-hued Gem looked up, her eyes were bright. “All the more reason we should do it whenever we can.”

Pearl took a centering breath, her nose twitching at the smell.

“You had an hour. You couldn’t have finished that?”

“What kind of host would I be if I did?” answered Obsidian. “I was saving half for you.”

Pearl finally found she had to turn her back—

 _A decision that sent a little shock of fear all through her_.

Her voice was level when she said: “We should get going while it’s still dark at our destination.”

“A fair assessment,” said Sid, pulling the bag open wider and looking inside. “Ah, here we go. Would you care for a wet-nap?” At Pearl’s look, she added: “It hasn’t touched any of the food.”

“Yes,” Pearl breathed. “Thank you.”

She fastidiously cleaned off her fingers, pausing only when she heard—

“And some hand-sanitizer?”

Pearl looked as if she had just found out she, in fact, was White Diamond.

“You carry _hand-sanitizer?_ ”

“Naturally,” said Obsidian. “I picked it up in Des Moines.”

Pearl slipped into the passenger’s seat of the Jeep and buckled her seat belt. She didn’t make eye contact – or even look up – when Obsidian passed the bottle of hand-sanitizer back to her. She simply accepted it without comment, squirted some on, and started wringing her hands.

That was rhythmic. Soothing. It felt _right_.

The ringing in her ears had faded to a dull whisper, like the sea.

“Shall we?” asked Obsidian.

Pearl waited until her hands were tingling clean and starting to dry.

“Yes,” she said at last. “Let’s.”

Sid balled up the paper bag and what was left in it and threw it down below—

Then said: “Console, prepare warp for default location.”

The pristine _between-ness_ of warp was enough to cleanse Pearl’s senses at last.

Five hops later, the odors of the Russian tundra settled on her with a vengeance.

***

The Jeep dropped a few feet to find ground and jigged along uncertainly on rocky terrain while Sid wrestled for control. As the last hazy light from warp faded to a faint sheen in the air, its glow was quickly replaced by a cover of ghostly, low-rolling fog.

Not nearly enough to disguise the gray foothills of the Ural Mountains just outside Pearl’s door.

She gritted her teeth as the Jeep heaved again, rattling her every which way. The fog, the wind, the crunch- _thud_ of struggling tires and the lingering after-notes of Sid’s lunch mingling with the natural smells of the steppes – it was almost too much to bear.

 _At least I remembered to fasten my seat belt_ , she thought.

Obsidian had not – and was leaning close into the steering wheel as if she could drive the thing with her whole form. At last, they skipped down from the harshest terrain to find what passed for a track, though certainly it was never meant for an automobile.

“There!” declared Sid. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

As she glanced to Pearl, her smile froze, then faded.

“I’ve re-entered the atmosphere more smoothly,” Pearl answered.

“I’d say if you’re well enough to stick your nose in the air, we’re doing just fine.”

Sid reached down to pop the clutch. When the Jeep responded, she slowly pressed the pedal to the metal. As they rambled along, passing ever deeper into the fog, she turned on the headlights.

“Where exactly are we?” Pearl ventured.

“The map is in the glove box,” said Sid. Pearl expected one of the cheap trifold maps that had led her and Rose astray on so many trips to see this or that “unforgettable roadside attraction.” But this was clearly Gem cartography: Though _printed_ on paper, it was far too detailed for a human.

Showing every road, paved and unpaved. Every settlement—

And mineral veins the locals hadn’t even caught on about yet.

“This is a site assessment map for a _kindergarten_ ,” Pearl accused.

“Well-spotted,” said Sid, slowly twisting the knob for the radio slowly as she spoke. She lingered long between stations, listening, but brought up nothing except more static. “Can you read it?”

“Of course I—” Pearl stopped herself. “Why?”

“I need a navigator, that’s all.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” went the pearl.

“Truer words have not been spoken,” Sid answered, her voice only becoming more cheerful. “But you don’t have to _trust_ someone to work together. And I suggest we learn to do that very quickly, because whoever we’re looking for will not be thrilled to see us.”

“Least of all me,” Pearl muttered.

“You think they’ll recognize you?”

“ _You_ did,” she said as she unfolded the map on the dash.

“Touché,” went Sid, and Pearl looked up. “It’s just a figure of speech, dear.” A little interlude of silence crept by. Then: “Please: Would you be willing to oblige me in this one simple task?”

As the Jeep thudded onto gravel and then pavement, Pearl leaned out the door to see if she could catch sight of any man-made landmarks. In a few minutes, they came to a road sign. She didn’t need to understand the script to match it to the map.

“Where are we heading?” she asked – just a bit sharply.

“Let’s mosey on along the ridge of _kaolinite_ on the map,” said Obsidian. “It’s basic to so many kindergarten processes, they’d no doubt want to settle in where the concentration is heaviest.”

“It leads north ... in the direction of Lake Kiva,” Pearl confirmed.

“That sounds like a convenient coincidence.”

“We should keep our eyes open. There could be any number of corrupt Gems in the area.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Obsidian. “Would you care for a celebratory smoke, _dushka_?”

“Ugh. _Please_.”

Obsidian snapped her lighter closed, leaving the cig in her mouth unlit.

The sound of static accompanied them deep into the heart of Russia.

***

The countryside was dotted with all sorts of shallow, irregular lakes. The earth was fractured for miles at a stretch where Gem machinery had once pounded it with pistons or gouged massive furrows out of it. Some of the gaps were bridged and others had been left; some rustic wooden bridges still stood, while the latest tunnels installed by military engineers had already collapsed.

The Gems had gone a hundred miles without seeing anyone. They were nowhere near Moscow.

If Pearl were honest with herself, she’d have to admit she was enjoying the silence. If she were even _more_ honest, she’d confess to not having a single conscious thought in hours. She simply watched the map and the road with unwavering diligence honed by the millennia—

The pinpoint-poised half-awareness of someone who had, once, waited long years between calls to act. Who had, once, spent centuries being regarded as little more than luxurious home decor.

 _Who had, despite all that, never missed her cue_.

Obsidian could have smoked a whole pack in that time and Pearl wouldn’t have thought twice.

But it was not to last: Sid would _not_ stop fiddling with the radio dial, and it finally sputtered and hissed and then screamed in protest. The noise was so loud she was forced to slam on the brakes.

As Pearl jolted forward, she realized there was not one iota of tension in her entire form.

That, too, was not to last.

“Why,” she huffed, making an effort to control her temper, “are you still playing with that?”

The Jeep revved back into action and they were on their way again. More slowly, this time.

“A little driving music couldn’t hurt,” said Obsidian. “In this case, though ... I’ve been checking all the standard frequencies for tactical transmissions on Earth. If there’s a facility here, they may still be using them. Patrol updates, re-arm and re-supply, that sort of thing.”

“I’m sure Homeworld isn’t still using radio,” Pearl said. “Even on Earth.”

“Who can say? Sometimes it’s just easiest to roll with what you’ve g—”

The hiss of static suddenly gave way to a garbled burst of human speech.

Obsidian slowed the Jeep to a prowl as she listened intently to it—

Utterly ignoring Pearl’s curious glance.

Then, without a word of explanation, she turned onto the highway.

“That’s not where we’re supposed to be going,” Pearl warned her.

“Trust me,” said Obsidian, grinning back at Pearl’s white-hot glare.

Sid eased in behind a battered old pick-up truck stacked high with potatoes. A flag had been draped over the load to flap in the breeze. It reminded Pearl of the star that had so long symbolized the noble cause of the Crystal Gems. _Although the color is a little garish._

The Jeep was soon enclosed in a convoy of farm vehicles.

Cruising along within the convoy, Sid contemplated the low burble of human speech still emanating from the radio. Then, with a little nod, she grabbed a cassette from the center console and pushed it into the tape player. The patter was replaced with a mellow twang.

  _I smoke ol’ stogies I have found  
__Short, but not too big around  
__I’m a man of means by no means—_

“King of the road,” Obsidian crooned. “Come on, dove – a little back-up vocal?”

Pearl pointedly turned away as far as she could in her seat.

“Surely your singing is better than mine,” Sid pleaded.

“I don’t sing,” Pearl said without looking back.

“I somehow find that very hard to believe.”

“I don’t sing for _you_ ,” Pearl clarified.

“You’d rather sit and be bored?”

“I don’t get bored. I get results.”

“You know, we’re going to be on this road for a long time.”

“Do your worst,” said Pearl.

“If you insist,” said Obsidian, rubbing her hands together in exaggerated glee.

She turned up the radio as far as it would go, voice becoming an off-key yowl.

 _I know every engine room, every train  
__All the children, all of their names  
__And every handout in every town  
__Every lock that ain’t locked when no one’s around_... 

Minutes passed, but no matter how bad it got – and it got worse – Pearl did not press her hands over her ears. It was a relief beyond description when they made the last turn into a decrepit little village. A large sign, half-covered with graffiti, stood out in front of the main road.

Obsidian finally switched the radio off.

“Designated _most promising_ by the central committee,” she murmured. 

“If this is the most promising, I’d certainly hate to see the least,” added Pearl.

As the convoy split up, Obsidian turned onto a half-hidden side street. She barely had the key free of the ignition before Pearl ejected herself onto the pavement. Sid didn’t see all of it, but she was pretty sure a _handstand_ was involved.

“I don’t think my singing is _that_ bad,” she said, loud enough to be sure she would be heard. But Pearl strode from the alley, never looking back. “Stay,” Sid told the Jeep as she stood, patting it amiably on the door. Then she rushed to catch up.

***

The village was in decline, certainly – _but so are all sorts of things in human civilization_ , Pearl thought, and she hardly spared a second one. What mattered was that they were alive, relatively safe, and that much closer to getting to the bottom of this.

At least, so she assumed—

Until she reached the center of town and saw the wreckage.

It was instantly recognizable as the scene from the newspaper. The remains of several buildings lay in an unsteady heap over what was once the road. Pearl’s first thought was of the pile and how uneven it looked. With just a quick adjustment, it would be much more pleasing—

She was leaning over to grab one of the planks when she saw it: The Gem creature’s prints were clearly preserved in frost and slush. With two quick yanks, she removed the offending plank and slid it to the ground, then stepped back with a satisfied look, dusting off her hands.

Then she reached into her gem to get her briefcase.

Packed safely away within a leather sleeve – itself wrapped in clean thermal socks – was a Kodak Instamatic, a spool of film, and four unused flash cubes. Kneeling beside the clearest set of tracks, she screwed a cube in with a mild, thoughtful frown.

 _Click_. Flash. _Click_. Flash. _Click_ —

A shadow fell over her and she snapped to her feet, camera enclosed tightly in both hands—

“Having fun yet, detective?” Obsidian asked.

“What took you so long?” Pearl answered.

“I was just looking around. Saying hello.”

Circling to the _other_ side of the prints, Pearl continued her work, now pulling out a tape measure.

“I thought you said your Russian isn’t very good.”

“I know enough to get by. A language doesn’t really change _that_ much in seven hundred years.”

Pearl glanced up from where she was carefully measuring the monster’s foot.

“You keep a lot of secrets, don’t you?”

“It’s what I was made for, my dear. And I’m sure I’m not the only one with secrets. Hm?”

Pearl rolled her eyes as she looked down. She didn’t have as much film as she’d thought—

A sudden memory jabbed at her: Rose. The concert. _She must have taken_ —

“What’s going on in that pretty gem of yours, _dushka?_ ”

Pearl realized with no small amount of horror that she had been blushing.

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” Pearl said, rising slowly to her feet.

“In that case, I suggest you wrap things up quickly. You may be _the_ renegade pearl to me, but to those people over there, you’re just a weird-looking foreigner taking unauthorized photos.”

Pearl subtly glanced around Obsidian’s side to see the crowd that was slowly drifting in from the surrounding streets. Only a few people, right now, but she had a feeling that would change fast. She quickly tossed her equipment in the briefcase and snapped it shut.

The two Gems shared a quick look, each wondering if the other would pick a direction and go.

When they drew close enough, Pearl whispered: “I’ll remind you that it’s _terrifying_ renegade.”

“Not so terrifying when one gets to know you,” Obsidian said lightly.

“You _don’t_ know me,” said Pearl, eyes still straight ahead.

Obsidian gave a little shrug.

“I suggest we get off the street for now. If this is the town that was attacked, surely someone here saw it firsthand. Once we pick up the trail, it shouldn’t be so hard to track something that size through the snow ... perhaps it will lead us to wherever it came from.”

“Nhh,” went Pearl.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” said Obsidian, putting out her elbow so Pearl could take her arm.

Pearl shot her a look that could have boiled a rock.

“Maybe a _little bit_ terrifying,” Obsidian conceded.

She took a lazy turn in the direction of the closest bar.

***

The bar was gloomy and smoky and crowded – an atmosphere Pearl was sure humans would call _convivial_ , because that’s how humans were everywhere on Earth. It was all she could do to stop herself from drawing attention with a coughing jag as soon as they were through the door.

She ducked her head to brace herself. Obsidian put a guiding hand, just briefly, on her shoulder.

Then, the tailor was a step ahead of her and Pearl was following close on her heels, eyes fixed on the other Gem. In the darkened room, it felt like Obsidian could fade into the shadows in the blink of an eye, leaving her alone in the middle of nowhere.

 _Good thing I don’t blink_.

It felt like every eye was on her—

But, as they settled into a corner booth, she realized it wasn’t so.

Though the room was crowded (mostly men, Pearl noted) they hardly stirred in response to the Gems. All eyes were on the battered stage against one wall. At first, Pearl thought it looked like driftwood. Then it occurred to her that it had started life as some other object, hacked roughly into a new shape that hardly suited it – though it fit well in its surroundings.

She found herself thinking of the ruins from the monster attack—

Obsidian slid in across from her and her shoulders tensed.

“What are they all waiting for?” Pearl asked, voice low.

“Some after-dinner entertainment, I gather.”

The words were no sooner spoken than a freckle-shouldered woman strode on stage with a guitar in her arms. Immediately, the patrons started to clap – some of them on-beat, others not quite so much. Pearl was vexed, but not surprised, to see Obsidian join in.

The musician started to play and sing—

 _I got a woman, mean as she can be  
__Sometimes I think she’s almost as mean as me_  

“Oh, come on,” said Pearl, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“I really would’ve thought you’d appreciate this more,” said Obsidian.

Pearl glanced over, but couldn’t tell if she was making another joke.

“I’d much prefer something sophisticated, maybe with a little piano.”

 _A black cat up and died of fright  
_ _‘cause she crossed his path last night_

“I’m sorry it doesn’t suit you, but this is actually the anthem of your people.” Pearl made to stand up, eyes already blazing with what she was about to say, but Obsidian went on as if she were little more than a calm breeze. “These humans can get in a lot of trouble for playing this music.”

Pearl stopped short. “Excuse me?”

“All this sort of thing is illegal around here. This is rebellion, _dushka_. Direct action, in fact!”

“I see ...”

 _Kiss so hard, she bruised my lips  
_ _Hurt so good, my heart just flips_

Pearl gazed thoughtfully at the guitarist, nibbling gently on her lower lip as she did.

She settled back into her seat and mumbled some answer lost beneath the singing.

“Excuse me?” Obsidian echoed.

“I said: I suppose it’s not _that_ bad. What it lacks in lyrical nuance, it makes up for in—”

“Down-home rebellious charm?”

“Not the words I would have chosen.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of choosing?”

“ _No_ ,” said the pearl. “I most certainly do not.”

 _Strangest gal I ever had  
_ _Never happy unless she’s mad_

“I’m going up to the bar,” said Obsidian. “I’ll get you some water. Hell, I’ll make it a _double_.”

“Wasting time again, Obsidian? Really – this isn’t a newlywed vacation we’re on, you know.”

Obsidian stopped to lean in close as she passed. “Wasting time? Hardly! This is reconnaissance!”

 _Oh, I got a woman, mean as she can be_ —

Pearl watched for a while as Obsidian made her way over to the bar and started chatting amiably with the people there in what, she was almost positive, would prove to be flawless modern Russian. When she felt quite sure the tailor wouldn’t simply abandon her, she looked around.

There wasn’t that much to see. A cow had been stuffed and mounted over the fireplace, its many horns now home to an assortment of furry hats. Pearl’s nose scrunched up. It was just _unseemly_ how humans seemed determined to eat as many of those creatures as possible.

 _Just because their ancestors were terrorized by_ —

Her idle gaze slammed to a stop on a display case in the corner.

Gently backlit and capped with frosted glass, it looked like it belonged in a nicer establishment than this one. What really caught her eye, though, was what lay inside: Gemstones, each the size of a human fist. A sinking feeling opened up inside her.

A feeling that only _intensified_ when Obsidian returned with two burly humans in tow.

As the two slid into the booth – one of them next to Pearl – she gazed at Obsidian.

She had _meant_ to glare, but it didn’t come out. Her whole form wanted to seize up.

“Obsidian,” she said around gritted teeth, “why did you bring back strange humans?”

Obsidian slid in across from her as before, beaming a thousand-watt smile all along.

“These two fine outdoorsmen tell me that the local – what’s the word? _Commissar_ , I believe – the local commissar has put out a sizeable bounty on monsters like the one we saw in the paper. Enough that hunting them is all some of these people ever do these days.”

“That’s insane,” said Pearl. “Those gems are incredibly dangerous! If the monsters reform—”

“I think it’s quite credible,” Sid said evenly, and tossed off a comment in Russian that won chuckles from her guests. As they began talking, Pearl felt herself being quickly left behind.

“ _Look over there, you clod!_ ”

 _That_ got Obsidian’s attention. She looked up as if she had been slapped, then followed Pearl’s gaze to the display case whilst barely turning her head. Pearl hadn’t been quite sure, despite all her experience, but Obsidian knew right away: “Peridots? They’re the right size.”

The Gems’ thoughts were interrupted as one of the men threw an arm over Pearl’s shoulders.

In a voice like impending doom, she whispered: “What does he think he’s doing?”

“Now, my dear, we need some information from these men, if I could just have one moment. I simply asked them if they had seen anyone who resembled you, and they wanted a closer look.”

“Like me? Why like me?”

“You’re a lot more _singular_ in appearance than I am ...”

The man pulled Pearl a little bit closer. She simply lost the capacity for speech right there.

“Just ...” Sid was battering the air in what was surely meant as a calming gesture. “Just don’t ...”

_Don’t think about it – just smile!_

The man was _reaching_ for her—

In one swift move, Pearl drove her elbow into the man’s throat and wrenched his shoulder out of the socket. From somewhere far away, she heard the other one cry _Bòzhe mòi!_ As Pearl pinned her assailant’s hand to the table, Obsidian let out a long, guttural hiss that was all too familiar—

When Pearl glanced up, the wrath in her eyes was unmistakable: _I shatter Gems like you_.

Three of the man’s fingers snapped like twigs in Pearl’s grip, and his shouting – then _screaming_ – finally started to carry over the twang of the guitar. Pearl thrust the sobbing man into the table, collapsing it, twisted sideways and vaulted to her feet.

“Go!” she told the Obsidian, who was looking out over the crowd.

Some of the other patrons were already moving, and the space to reach the door was closing.

“Oh, you’re not going to like this,” Obsidian said to herself, bobbing from one foot to the other.

“What?” Pearl said – and stepped back when she saw Obsidian had already drawn her shears.

 _But they weren’t shears. They were two knives, and no longer looked like a tailor’s tool at all_.

With her eyes on those blades, she didn’t even notice Sid slipping an arm around her waist.

“Hold on tight,” said the Obsidian—

And jerked her from the ground, settling Pearl on her shoulders in a split second before taking off at a dead run. Pearl had known Obsidians were fast, but she never imagined crossing the taproom in three bounds, their pursuers melting behind them in a blur.

Crossing the street, then the block, then the whole town in what felt like seconds—

A mob had only half-formed and wasn’t even after them yet when the Jeep peeled out.

***

The long, steaming silence was broken only by the crunch of snow beneath the Jeep’s tires.

An hour went by, perhaps more, and neither Gem looked at the other. Finally, it happened:

“If we’re going to work together, you can’t break every human you come in contact with!”

“Try me.”

Obsidian had taken them off the road at the first opportunity, and they were plunging ever further into untamed forest, where rowdy drunks were likely to be the least of their worries. Pearl’s gem was dark, leaving Obsidian to work twice as hard just to avoid danger.

“We could have saved _days_ with that information. How could you make such a mess?”

Obsidian kept a careful watch on her, but Pearl gave no reaction at all to being yelled at.

And that ... even more than righteous violence ... struck her as downright un-pearl-like.

Finally, Pearl deigned to answer: “I don’t _make_ messes, Obsidian. I clean them up.”

A quiet that was as broad and deep as the forest primeval sprawled out between them.

Broken only when Obsidian started to laugh. It started as a restrained little chuckle—

In the end, though, she threw back her head and cackled.

“You,” she breathed. “You are much more than any of us ever realized. Much more.”

Pearl was still seething when she answered: “I’m used to people underestimating me.”

“Listen to me, _du_ —Pearl. We’ll need to stop very soon. Traveling by day will draw attention, and even as skilled as you are, I hardly want to put you in a position to fist-fight all of Petrograd. In fact ...” She looked back down at the steering wheel. “I owe you an apology.”

“Where to start,” Pearl breathed, voice flat.

“I never intended to put you in that situation. Intention or not, it’s my responsibility. I’m sorry.”

Pearl said nothing.

“You don’t have to forgive me. Just don’t let it come between us.”

“There is nothing between us.”

 _Hmm_ , went Sid, pulling the Jeep as close as she could to a copse of frost-burdened fir trees and stopping the engine. “I think this may be the best we can do for now. I hope it meets your approval.” As the vehicle’s last purr gave way to silence, Sid stood up—

And started circling the trees as if looking for something. She went all the way around and eventually came back on the other side. “Well,” she told Pearl, “there should be plenty of room for you to drill with your weapon without me getting in your way.”

“Oh, please don’t hesitate to get in my way,” muttered Pearl.

With a key from somewhere in her coat, Sid finally opened the lock securing the chains to the big crates in the back of the Jeep. From the first of these, she pulled forth some blankets and started to settle them over the grass – two, separated by a fair distance.

Next, she heaved sleeping bags, one at a time, out onto the blankets.

After she was finished, she found the pearl sitting alone, gazing upwards into the night sky—

(Hands on her knees, toes pointed down – it looked distinctly uncomfortable to Sid, _and_ _yet_.)

It took a few seconds for Sid to realize what had caught her eye.

 _We’re a long way from city lights tonight_.

The rich-hued Gem bounced down to her knees so she would be at eye level with Pearl.

“This is a lovely place to look at the stars, but I could use a nice nap.”

Pearl finally shifted to look her way for the first time since the bar.

“Is there _any_ bizarre, unnecessary human thing that you don’t do?”

Obsidian considered this question for a moment.

“Taxes?”

She couldn’t tell from the quirk of Pearl’s mouth whether she had gotten the joke.

“You’re going to fall asleep,” Pearl recounted. “Right here. In front of me.”

“No place safer, I should think.”

“You’re not afraid I’ll shatter you the very moment your eyes are closed.”

“Afraid? No. Concerned—” Sid let her eyes tick to the side. “No, not really.”

“Why not?”

Now, at last, she had Pearl’s full attention.

“If you’d planned to shatter me, you already would have. Maybe that day in my shop. Maybe as soon as we left warp. I’ve known Gems who would burn down an entire city with everyone in it rather than take the risk that someone might tell them _no_. You’re not like that.”

Pearl seemed to process this for a very long time. Then: “You know I can shatter you.”

“That’s hardly breaking news. You shattered enough like me to grow quite a few strawberries.”

“But not you.”

“Here I sit before y— _oh_.” The real meaning sank in. “No, not me personally.”

“But there were others – other Crystal Gems.”

“Of course,” Obsidian acknowledged. “We were at war.”

Pearl blew out a breath.

“Fine. I’ll take first watch. Just ... leave me alone.”

“Have it your way,” said Sid. She bobbed to her feet and sauntered the few steps to the blanket further away, then flopped on her back with her hands propping her head. “Have it your way ... what an odd and delightful phrase that is. Could you ever have imagined you would be here right now, _having it your way?_ Earth is just such a magical place. I can see why you love it so.”

It was a long time later – minutes – before Pearl said: “I don’t love it.”

Sid tilted to the side, facing Pearl, whose back was still turned to her.

“Then ... what do you love?”

No answer.

“Rebellion?”

No answer.

“Respect ...”

No answer.

In a flash, Obsidian suddenly realized—

“Rose Quartz?”

“Don’t you even dare to say her name!”

“Oh, I do apologize,” said Sid. “Your dear leader was quite the frequent topic of conversation where I came from.” Thinking twice, she sat up again and grabbed a pack of cigarettes from a belt-pouch. Pearl heard the lighter snap open and closed again. “What is she really like?”

“If that’s what you want to know, why don’t you ask the rest of your facet?”

“I don’t get along very well with the rest of my facet,” said Sid, puffing on her cig. “In any case, I haven’t seen anyone like me – or like _you_ , for that matter – in more than 5,000 years.”

“Let me serenade you on the world’s smallest violin.”

“You play the violin?” Sid asked—

And saw the twitch that meant _Yes, but there’s no way you could’ve known that._

“You’re doing that thing again, aren’t you?” Pearl asked.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re doing that silly thing with your hands, I know you are.”

Obsidian dropped the _picture frame_ she’d been miming in the air.

“I was just thinking—”

“Oh, _good_.”

“ _Maxine!_ That would fit you like a well-tailored suit, I think. You could even choose a last name of your own to go with it. Hmmmm ...” She contemplated this. “Something avian. Maxine _Finch_. Maxine _Robin_.” Sid raised her eyebrows as Pearl murmured something softly. “Pardon?”

“... Quartz.”

Suddenly, Sid’s world made much more sense.

“Oh. I see. Miss _Quartz_ , then.” A tiny thrill ran through Pearl, and they both knew better than to pretend it hadn’t been there. “Miss Quartz, I really do envy you. Where you stand now – you’re halfway to getting the point. When you finally figure it out, it’ll be the best day of your life.”

“The best days of my life are behind me,” Pearl said. “And yours, too, I think.”

“Well ... some of my colleagues might agree with that, if they were here today.”

Pearl went rigid again – but this, Sid knew, was the tremor just before crying.

She lit her second cigarette and puffed thoughtfully for a while—

“We _all_ knew about you, the terrifying renegade pearl. They said you were smarter, braver, faster than any other pearl had been before. You saw through half our traps no matter how clever they were. You faced long odds without a second thought and you never let her lose her form.” Obsidian let out a long plume of smoke. “Not even once.”

“Not even once,” Pearl echoed with a satisfied little nod. “That would’ve made your job easy.”

“Without a doubt,” Obsidian conceded. “The boss _hated_ you. Never once shut up about it.”

“Mm.”

“Probably _still_ hasn’t, if she’s out there now.”

Pearl let out a little seething _sizzle_ of pent-up emotion, something that wasn’t quite a laugh but that _had_ been badly needed. Her back straightened, and Obsidian knew without thinking twice about it that she felt much better now.

“It’s hard to imagine they would ever say those things about a pearl.”

“We had more than one informant who was quite enamored of you.”

Pearl clenched her jaw—

“You had sources in – inside the rebellion?”

“Absolutely not,” said Obsidian. “We would never get them back.”

Now, at last, Pearl let out a bark of laughter.

Obsidian was on her third smoke and the pack was looking sparse.

“Our job was to put our personal feelings—and our biases—aside. To see what was really there.”

“And? Are you convinced now?” Pearl asked bitterly.

“Convinced? Miss Quartz, I never needed convincing. If anything, you’ve only exceeded my expectations.” Obsidian rose languidly. “You don’t have to prove yourself to me. I promise.”

“You give your word pretty easily for an Obsidian,” Pearl said—

But the hard edge in her voice had softened a little at last.

She sounded ... _tired_.

“Well, we all have our flaws,” said Obsidian. “Some of us more than others. I’ll be back around shortly. I think I’ll just finish the rest of my smokes where it won’t offend your n—sensibilities.”

“Yes. _Go_ ,” said Pearl.

“Are you sure you don’t want to catch some sleep, too? I could take first shift.”

“I don’t get tired,” said Pearl. “I—”

“—get results. So I’ve heard, yes.” Obsidian nodded once at her back before turning away. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” She took long, slow steps as she went, making sure Pearl would never be in doubt of precisely where she was. Soon enough, the sound faded into the distance.

Pearl dropped into a new posture, letting herself lounge with her hands far from her gem.

 _Finally_.

She _was_ tired, she knew. But she could handle it. She always had before.

The ringing in her ears rose to a roar. If only she could just stop a spell.

_Just a few minutes—_

She didn’t realize she was falling asleep until it was far too late.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment! I love to hear your feedback. Thank you!


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